Now that the angle of the mouthpiece is corrected, test the sound of the ocarina. With the mouthpiece held in place with a coil of clay and all the finger holes covered, blow gently and evenly (like blowing a kiss). The note should sound strong. If the note disappears or is weak, the voicing is too small and will need to be made larger.

If the ocarina sounded strong with all finger holes covered, try this next test. Uncover all the finger holes and test the sound again, using the same blowing force as before, and then slightly increase it. Don't blast air into it as you would blow a coach's whistle! The note should again sound clear. If it sounds airy ("windy" and weak), the voicing is most likely too large, and needs to be made smaller.

An ocarina with a too large voicing most always sounds excellent when all the finger holes are covered. As the finger holes are uncovered, the notes deteriorate or disappear altogether. On the other hand, an ocarina with a too small voicing will sound great on the high notes, but the low notes will be soft, weak, and easily overblown. The ocarina's sound will improve (get stronger) as finger holes are uncovered.

(Click on pictures for a larger view)

Next: Attach Mouthpiece >>

Introduction and Tools 1 | Forming the Body 2 3 | Making the Mouthpiece 4 5 6 | Position Mouthpiece-Cut Voicing 7 8 9 10 11 | Finger Holes 12 13 14 | Align Mouthpiece 15 16 | Adjust Voicing Size 17 | Attach Mouthpiece 18 19 | Tuning 20 | Assembling the Body 21 22 | Tidying up the Ocarina-Finishing 23 24 25 26 27 | Plaster Ocarina Mold | Clay Ocarina Mold | Make an Ocarina using a Clay Mold | Make an Ocarina Without a Mold | Glaze a Ceramic Ocarina | Glaze a Dragon Ocarina